Faction Two-Week Notice

[Colette]

“I have lied to you.” The message to the council began. “While the rest of the Order stumbled in the dark, I’ve personally tracked down the Vanguard using my resources as Quartermaster as well as a few external, personal contacts. There was no need for anyone to know, and there still is no need for you to know. I deduced their location, successfully, mere hours before the attack. As such I saw it fit to confront them at their home. Needless to say, I have spoken to them and I carry extremely important information. Information that I don’t want to broadcast on a signal that can be intercepted. I will not be sharing the location of the Vanguard. I’ll accept arrest upon arrival, should this be seen as ‘treason’.”

A brief pause.

“Naturally, I am stepping down as Quartermaster effective immediately regardless.”

The message was sent, scattered through proxies until the location it was sent from scattered to the astral winds like dust in an asteroid field. It was excessive, but she took her promise not to betray the Vanguard as seriously as she took her oath to never work for them. That meant that the navigational computer had been swapped. The drives containing its logs sabered and tossed into a goddamned sun. Had it not been because of the visible wear and tear on the ship it almost would’ve been fair to assume that it was fully refurbished.

The ship landed. Colette allowed herself a deep breath as the landing ramp descended onto the pad. She didn’t exit just yet. She needed to prepare herself for whichever welcoming party was coming her way. Full council, half council, no council… Armed, cuffs, or none.

Sela Basran / Ala Quin / Vizion Trozky / Vodet

 

[Sela Basran]

────── ⁂ ──────

LANDING PAD

THEN

♫ THE WATCHING SILENCE—MICHAEL & MICHELLE

x

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Sela Basran had always had time for Colette Noble. The woman was young, forthright, and very -- very -- opinionated. But lately Sela didn't know what to make of her. She endeavored to greet Colette when she returned to the Sanctuary. The older woman watched the ship settle onto its landing struts and waited.

And waited.

Sela took a half-step toward the ship, then thought better of it and stepped back, turning.

It was not quite like Colette to need to make an entrance. She had always found the Quartmaster refreshingly down to earth. After a moment, the ramp had not yet descended. Sela did not feel impatience, exactly, nor did she feel danger. She felt a profound weariness with the world, one of which the Force has proved unable to unburden her. What has become of you, child? the older Jedi Master wondered, regarding the ship curiously. Finally, she stepped back fully, retreating a bench on the outskirts of the pad. Colette would make herself known on her own time -- or not at all -- and Sela Basran had plenty of work to keep her busy in the meanwhile.

She settled her datapad on her knee and drew the stylus from behind her ear and went back to work annotating her latest treatise. Let Colette -- and indeed, other other Councilors, should they choose -- make themselves known in their own good time.

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x

FEATURING

Colette • Ala Quin • Vodet • Vizion Trozky

 

[Vodet]

The message came. Vodet played it. And played it again. Something was amiss. A resignation and an acceptance of arrest? Had the Quartermaster sided with the Vanguard?

He knew others who moonlit along the line of the Vanguard. But of course he, as Waybinder, knew many Wayseekers, and Jedi who were not the typical, fit into one silo type.

As much as he didn’t care for the tactics of the Vanguard, feeling it could have been spoken out before the drastic moves… so long as they were willing to return, he’d welcome them.

Sensitive information and a resignation? Colette wasn’t like this. Perhaps there was a solution and the Jedi did not need to calve like an iceberg any further.

He stood, waiting; leaning on his cane. Ready to welcome Colette home.

 

[Colette]

Sela Basran / Vodet (and Ala Quin Vizion Trozky , if they have time)

A familiar figure stepped down the ramp. Colette’s breath caught for a moment before she realized her reception was no bigger than two just yet. In her head the potential reception would have been rockets and blaster fire but perhaps that had just been the stress in her head then. A combo which in retrospect was just about the last thing she’d seen of this enclave before she set off to confront the Vanguard, come to think of it.

“Sela, Vodet.” Colette bowed her head. Although he demeanor was calm, there was no mistaking the frayed wires under her skin. “We need to get to the council chambers, can’t talk here in the open.”

They walked through the temple until the doors shut close behind them in the chamber, after which Colette quickly began to swipe through every bit of dust and grime she could find in search of a bug.

“It was all a trap.” Colette began as she knelt in front of her own seat. Or, what used to be her seat? “The- the- the- uh…” She drew circles with her hand as if to find a word. “The attack.”

The pace at which she talked increased exponentially.

“The Vanguard were blackmailed by the King of Naboo who threatened to reveal where they were, which- you know, ironically, was a- a- a moot point because I already knew by then.”

“So, they were given information about ‘Her’ and how she was working for some other Lord. Strange lord. Some kind of overlord, and a—”

Colette sneezed from the dust, sniveled and continued ranting at speed unless she was stopped.

“I mean, it was there in the patterns. I knew who in the warehouses were— uh, who are… Members of the Vanguard in secret, so I put them through a bunch of… Selective missions where I probed…” Deep breath, rant paused. Exhale, rant continued. “And I found them but I don’t want to tell anyone because this whole thing is a sham, right? This entire so-called schism is just a stupid joke, and rather than giving anyone an advantage I’d just leave it all behind because frankly why wouldn’t I?”

“Because as it turns out the attack was just a thing by Lorn and Acier and it has split their camp just as much as ours, and like…” A frustrated scream, an unexpected scream and accompanying tears. “I’ve tried so hard to just play along and pretend like I am okay with it but I am tired and just…”

“Just give me a minute.”

The kid was not breathing properly at all. Carrying the galaxy on her shoulders was finally, after six years, proving far too much for her.

 

[Ala Quin]

Scrunched up in a contorted meditation stance, sitting on the floor behind the massive Grandmaster's chair, Ala heard everything from the moment they stepped into the council chambers. Eavesdropping was not her normal approach, but not being immediately visible as the break down began served its purpose...until it didn't.

"Do you think that this divide does not weight heavy on every member of this Council?" Ala finally stood, still not visible behind the high backed chair.

Moments later she stepped into view, and immediately bridged the gap to give the younger woman a hug. It lasted for three whole, long breathes, and then Ala stepped back. She needed Colette to know she cared, before she spoke.

"Centre yourself, Jedi," she said, tone laced with softness, "find your calm within the Force. Now."

If Colette was going to be the Jedi she needed to be then this was not the way.

"Did you really take it upon yourself to investigate, leaving the rest of the council out of your circle of one, only now to hyperventilate because the truth is too much for you to bare alone?"

Pursing her lips, Ala shrugged and lifted her hands in defeat. How could she help if people were determined to be a law unto themselves?

"What evidence do you bring of this blackmail? It is far to great a charge to simply accept on hearsay."

| Colette Sela Basran Vodet Vizion Trozky |​

 

[Vodet]

A deep breath, calming breath. There was a lot of energy coming from Colette's transmission and it was bleeding out even before she stepped from the ship. As she came hurried to Sela and himself, the large turtle nodded. A small focus in the Force would offer them some form of a protective bubble, to allow prying minds to be pushed back, and hopefully to shower Colette in a calm current of peace, a warm sea breeze, as it were. But that was Vodet waxing poetically.

Keeping behind the two soft skins, due to his size and need of a cane, he continued on with them until they were at the Council chambers. Looking around, he found his seat, large, bulky, but lined with mangroves and leaves to provide him some sense of normalcy. He pushed forward with the calm current from him, hoping to help anchor Colette.

As the Grandmaster spoke, Vodet turned his body to ensure both she and the Quartermaster were in… sort of view.

Listening to the interaction between the two, the hard-shell looked to Colette. "We are always here for you, Colette. As your clutch, or.." There was a soft skin word. "Family." It wasn't the nuance that he wanted. From various walks of life, various homeworlds and species, but united in the same mission.

"Granted I would not be much use in any undercover investigation." He said, more deadpanned than intended, but hoping to lighten the mood.

“But I have to agree with the Grandmaster.” Cooler heads to prevail.

Colette Ala Quin Sela Basran

 

[Colette]

Ala Quin / Sela Basran / Vodet

It was pathetic and she knew that. A frustrated hand swiped at the tears before the hug wrapped itself around her with a tight grip. Although Ala was pointed in her questions it was more the fact that they had to be asked at all that bothered Colette the most.

"Look," Colette said and let in a deep breath before she continued at a more manageable pace. "I made a promise to the people in the Vanguard that in exchange for being allowed to leave and warn the Council I would keep their current location to myself. And I take that very seriously."

"Either way, it's hard to prove the blackmail. I was however given a copy of the message that was provided to Acier before I left." Colette began to root around in her satchel to dig it out before promptly playing it before the council.

Faction - Knock, Knock!

fa-play fa-pause There was a flicker of something behind her eyes when Colette said she'd been assaulted. Upset? Disappointment? Whatever it was, Briana was quick to snuff out the emotion before giving it the chance to breathe. Something for her to process later, when there were less eyes...

www.starwarsrp.net

Colette didn't recognize the voice of Her's overlord.

"From the atmosphere around the camp, Lorn has made a mess in his own home." Colette continued once the recording ended. "A lot of Vanguard members stunned that they would attack other Jedi before they attacked Sith."

"That last part is the one that worries me the most. Everything that has gone wrong for us is going exactly according to plan for someone else. That's what has me anxious."

 

[Sela Basran]

────── ⁂ ──────

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

THEN

♫ ANDANTE CON MOTO — NICHOLAS BRITELL

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Sela had some thoughts about Colette's conduct, and more than that, concerns about her state of mind. The woman had become faintly incoherent. But the other Jedi stepped in, seemed to help her get herself in hand, and she seemed to pull herself together, enough to share the evidence.

She couldn't help but smile. Her clearly thought herself cleverer than she was, if she was telling this mysterious lord of hers that she had so skillfully and brilliantly sowed confusion in the Order. Sela was not confused; to her knowledge, the Grandmaster was not confused, either. The Vanguard -- what with their movements against their own brethren -- well, that was perhaps a different story.

"What astonishes me most about Sith is the capacity for self-deception," she mused before returning her attention to the recordings. "I do not doubt you, Quartermaster," Sela began again, her voice less pensive now. "Understand that first. But I do have reason to question whether such a mastermind exists. Oh, someone is pulling that woman's strings, certainly. But what has happened here -- this division with the Vanguards -- is not secret. This could well be a ruse. Let us consider the evidence as we find it and not assign it undue credibility before we have reason to find it credible. The Sith are deceptive in the extreme, as we know. Let us proceed with caution."

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FEATURING

Colette • Ala Quin • Vodet